Learning Path

Not sure where to start? Pick the track that matches your goal.

Track 1: Two-week trip prep

You have a trip coming up and want the most useful Japanese fast. This track covers reading signs, ordering food, and getting around. It skips the linguistics.

Time commitment: ~6–8 hours total, about 30–60 minutes per day

Week	Day	Lesson	Time
1	1	Your Mandarin Advantage	10 min
1	1	Three Writing Systems	15 min
1	2	The 46 Hiragana Characters	25 min
1	3	Hiragana: か to た Rows	20 min
1	4	Hiragana: な to わ Rows	20 min
1	5	Common Katakana Words	15 min
1	6	Daily Phrases	15 min
1	7	Review + Reading Practice	30 min
2	1	Airport and Immigration	10 min
2	2	Transportation	10 min
2	3	Hotel	10 min
2	4	Restaurant + Snacks	20 min
2	5	Shopping	10 min
2	6	Emergencies + Destinations	20 min
2	7	Practice Challenges	30 min

Trip Prep Tip

Focus on the AudioPlayer buttons in travel lessons — practice saying the phrases out loud. You don’t need perfect reading ability, but being able to say key phrases makes a huge difference.

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Track 2: Full self-study course

You want to learn Japanese properly, starting from the writing systems and working through grammar. This track covers everything in order.

Time commitment: ~20–25 hours total, about 30–45 minutes per day over 5–6 weeks

Phase 1: Foundation (Week 1–2)

Lesson	Est. Time	Key Skill
Your Mandarin Advantage	10 min	Understand your existing knowledge
Three Writing Systems	15 min	Hiragana, katakana, kanji roles
On’yomi and Kun’yomi	25 min	Two reading systems for kanji
The 46 Hiragana Characters	25 min	First phonetic alphabet — vowels
Hiragana: か to た Rows	20 min	Consonant rows 1–3
Hiragana: な to わ Rows	20 min	Consonant rows 4–7 + ん
Dakuten and Combinations	20 min	Voiced sounds (が, ざ, だ, ば)
Yōon Combinations	15 min	Combined sounds (きゃ, しゅ, ちょ)
Reading Practice	30 min	Apply hiragana to real words

Phase 2: Katakana (Week 3)

Lesson	Est. Time	Key Skill
Katakana: The 46 Characters	25 min	Second phonetic alphabet
Common Katakana Words	15 min	English loanword recognition

Phase 3: Kanji from your Mandarin (Week 3–4)

Lesson	Est. Time	Key Skill
Radicals You Already Know	20 min	Shared building blocks
Identical Characters	30 min	Kanji that mean the same
False Friends	25 min	Tricky meaning differences
Essential Kanji Collection	25 min	Core everyday kanji
People and Nature Kanji	20 min	People, body, nature vocab
Action and Abstract Kanji	20 min	Verbs and descriptors

Phase 4: Grammar and Communication (Week 4–5)

Lesson	Est. Time	Key Skill
Sentence Structure	20 min	SOV word order
Essential Particles	20 min	は, が, を, に, で, etc.
Daily Phrases	15 min	Greetings and essentials
Numbers, Time, Counting	20 min	Counters and time

Phase 5: Real-World Application (Week 5–6)

Lesson	Est. Time	Key Skill
Airport and Immigration	10 min	Arrival vocabulary
Transportation	10 min	Trains, buses, taxis
Hotel	10 min	Check-in, requests
Restaurant	15 min	Ordering, menus
Snacks and Street Food	10 min	Street food vocab
Shopping	10 min	Prices, tax-free
Emergencies	10 min	Help, medical, police
Destination Guide	15 min	Regional tips
Practice Challenges	30 min	Put it all together

Study Tips

Each lesson has flashcard decks for active recall — use them instead of just reading. Mark lessons complete at the bottom so you can track what you’ve covered. Go back when your recall fades; the sidebar shows your progress. When you see audio buttons, say the phrases out loud. Muscle memory helps more than silent reading.

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How the sections connect

Introduction ──→ Hiragana ──→ Katakana
                    │              │
                    ▼              │
               Dakuten &      ◄───┘
              Combinations
                    │
                    ▼
              Reading Practice
                    │
                    ▼
            Kanji (your Mandarin advantage)
                    │
                    ▼
         Grammar & Daily Phrases
                    │
                    ▼
            Travel Japanese
                    │
                    ▼
           Practice Challenges

Hiragana is the prerequisite for everything else. Katakana can be learned alongside or after hiragana. Kanji relies on both your Mandarin and your hiragana reading ability. Grammar builds on all three scripts. Travel Japanese applies everything.